Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-18
q rex FRANK LANDERS.
LAST Rascal in the World-He
ECleIsio snos the Minnesota Peniten-
tisry and VIII Lead
lively Ohase-His Wonderful
rhs POio' p RoEue-OhicagO E1-
DerioDcss.
chicago Hlrsld.

TnslS Ave wears. The Minnesota prison
t8eng !,tias are hunting high and low for
'u'I'i INIT Lsnders is as slippery as he is
5in' and it is doubtful if he will be
d'llDs' .osiu, except at the end OF long
cs9E 5rn uT chase. Lsnders, who has
snu ny aliases as he has fingers and
IS NO. - without question the cIeverest
TOES, that ever forged a check or
lss s"dled 8 merchant. For years he
s"-l DIad from one city to another, leav-
ts1 ':I If victims behind him that ex-
"a from Boston to Ssn Francisco,
Islu ~ carried away thousands of dollars
anu .. - ~ diamonds and money. His opera
ToL.H U 70 so cleverly conducted that
uuH' ended the police everywhere
As - he got mixed up in love affair in
UNI. He became enamored OF a young
BOs'V ,be daughter of one of the wealth.
gill Wv of the "Hub," and while
esE Sin. +S her he WAS planning q swindle
Cout TonId have cost jewelry house
. VI nm. but before he could carry his
sIo IS into effect the police descended on
pm and he was locked up. Two days
i.ter the young woman he had been court
NV visited him and left handsome oou-
Eot in his cell as souvenir Of her affec-
gu and in this bouquet Landers found
s u.s. dozen wstch-spring saws. Before
10 9ar conId make use of them, however,
~ AZ authorities were informed of
~. .s voupg Woman's foolish caper,
w thew promptly conflscated the
a ';.tIa char destroyers." A kind
hearted TAILOR, who sympathized with the
1frI saved her from the disgrace of ex-
snonre, and shortly sfterward Landers
wss taken to ST. Paul by w. A. Pinkerton
where he had swindled merchants out OF
s95, 600 worth of iewelry, pianos and ex-
npnsiye furniture. Among his more
nrominent victims there was Meyers &
french. jewellers, and to their efforts
mainly was due the rascaps capture and
conviction. Landers began his career as
A swindler in Philadelphia in 1881, when
he iusugurated the system of forgery that
bss since been the bane of banks and
business men. He got out letter heads
and cards for the firm of Adam Johnson
{ Co Reading, Pa, and pretending to
he Johnson, went to Philadelphia,
visited every ieWelry house in the city
snd selected large assortment of dia-
mOnds, which he promised to buy and
psy for. Then he disappeared for twenty
fOdr hours, and while the Quaker City
jewellers were wondering what had be-
come of him, they received kilograms
iron Johnson at Reading informing them
that he had been called out of town on a
pressing business matter, but that he
would call for the goods the next dsy. He
called, the goods were delivered to him,
and he left checks instead of cash to pay
for them. When the jewellers found out
that he checks were worthless Landers
was many miles away, and practically out
Of their reach.
SSG Francisco was next honored by his
presence, and he left so many of his auto
graphs lying around loose there that the
police have never been able to count
them all. He swindled the jewelers. of the
Golden Gate City just as ne did the jew
elers of Philadelphia. Pretending to be
John B. Henderson, of the fictitious firm
Of Henderson e. Marshall, of Los Ange
les, ne arranged for the purchase of large
Quantities Of diamonds. He got them,
and the jewellers got his worthless checks
in return. He would have been captured
IN Ssn Francisco had he not taken the
preCautiOn when he was planning the
sWindle to tell everybody he met that
be was going to Honolulu. The day he
got the Jewels the Honolulu steamer
left port, and the police, believing
Landers to be aboard of her, gave up the
cnsse for him. The willy rogue was not
On for Honolulu, but was, instead, enjoy
Ing the breeZes Of the Pacific from the
VeTands OF hotel at a watering place
near San Francisco, and he remained
there long enough to bunko an elderly
gentleman from Boston out Of $4,000 in
cash.
Then he took train for the east, and
50 iar as is known, did not stop until he
reached Chicago. He went to the Palmer
mouse, where he registered as "Lieuten-
ant SomeIheld, U. S. A ;" and IN order to
sustain his claim to the title he provided
himself with an undress uniform, which
ne wore around the parlors of the
IoIsl q good deal, much to the
uengat of cOterie of ladies
VINO admired his handsome face and |
military bearing. Once he even went so |
iaE as TO appear in the hotel office with a |
g S handled sword jlngling st his side.
ne SWelIed around the lobby for half an
IoeF Inc admired of all admirers, and he |
~ uau SO much fun tnat he might have been |
snefe yet had not sharp eyed reporter
zen MIN. The reporter was so struck |
" Lsnders' incongruous costume that |
- determined to interview him. The |
pretended lieutenant had successfully |
o,ml9u!ed shreWd business men and |
r.uuea lynx-eyed policemen, but he found |
a a.oie than match in the reporter. He !
SOGlu not fool him, and to avoid exposure |
a y ,eit town on the first train that went |
~ new York. He subsequently made |
aeseral trips to England and France in |
.O4pany with an expert Chicago gambler,
1.s. ne claims himself that the trips |
r zssI' him handsome sums of money.
;;S 81. Ithaca, n. Y, received a visit |
IN. MIN, and Its merchants are still |
- an about the suave, polite gentleman
' ~nG PAID for $4,000 worth of diamonds |
It forged checks. Then on half a |
,UsH wholesale jewelers. in Cincinnati,
oe losses to Lsnders aggregated |
oeaY $4,000. And Louisville, also,
~ ~ few of his victims. he went |
10 10 Jew Orleans in 1888, and pretending |
q ue Inc correspondent of the New York |
8Sau' lngratiated himself into the con-
1,DI OF Crescent City merchants and |
-sI;as SO far that he was successful in |
~ ~. them of nearly $4,000. Before |